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Cited by 84Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAging and Gerontology ResearchHealth disparities and outcomes

Social Networks and Cognitive Function: An Evaluation of Social Bridging and Bonding Mechanisms

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Perry, Brea L, McConnell, William R, Peng, Siyun, Roth, Adam R, Coleman, Max, Manchella, Mohit, Roessler, Meghann, Francis, Heather +2 more·2022·The Gerontologist
DOI 10.1093/geront/gnab112PMC PMC9290895
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Abstract

Background and Objectives: Social connectedness has been linked prospectively to cognitive aging, but there is little agreement about the social mechanisms driving this relationship. This study evaluated 9 measures of social connectedness, focusing on 2 forms of social enrichment—access to an expansive and diverse set of loosely connected individuals (i.e., social bridging) and integration in a supportive network of close ties (i.e., social bonding). Research Design and Methods: This study used egocentric network and cognitive data from 311 older adults in the Social Networks in Alzheimer Disease study. Linear regressions were used to estimate the association between social connectedness and global cognitive function, episodic memory, and executive function. Results: Measures indicative of social bridging (larger network size, lower density, presence of weak ties, and proportion of non-kin) were consistently associated with better cognitive outcomes, while measures of social bonding (close ties, multiplex support, higher frequency of contact, better relationship quality, and being married) largely produced null effects. Discussion and Implications: These findings suggest that the protective benefits of social connectedness for cognitive function and memory may operate primarily through a cognitive reserve mechanism that is driven by irregular contact with a larger and more diverse group of peripheral others.

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  • This result partly coincides with the theoretical framework and empirical cross-sectional results of Perry et al. (2021) suggesting that social bridging and not social bonding is critical for sustaining cognitive functions.

    “This result partly coincides with the theoretical framework and empirical cross-sectional results of Perry et al. (2021) suggesting that social bridging and not social bonding is critical for sustaining cognitive functions.”

    From Internet-Based Conversational Engagement Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (I-CONECT) Among Socially Isolated Adults 75+ Years Old With Normal Cognition or Mild Cognitive Impairment: Topline Results (2024) · cites this paper as Perry et al., 2021

    The Discussion and Implications reports that social-bridging measures were consistently associated with better cognitive function in older adults, whereas social-bonding measures were largely unrelated in this sample. But it explicitly stops short of saying social bonding is unrelated to cognitive aging, and its observational associations do not establish that bridging is critical for sustaining cognition. The supplied passages give section labels but no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Perry, B. L., McConnell, W. R., Peng, S., Roth, A. R., Coleman, M., Manchella, M., Roessler, M., Francis, H., Sheean, H., & Apostolova, L. A.
Affiliations
  • Indiana University Bloomington (US)
  • Florida Atlantic University (US)
  • University of Southern Indiana (US)
  • University of Dayton (US)
  • Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University , Indianapolis, Indiana , USA
Corresponding author
Perry, Brea L
ORCID
Venue
The Gerontologist
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2021-08-02
Volume
62
Issue
6
Pages
865-875
ISSN
  • 0016-9013 (ISSN-L)
  • 1758-5341
DOI
10.1093/geront/gnab112
PMC
PMC9290895
OpenAlex
W3189371275
Cited by
84
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1
FWCI
5.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
Locations
  • The Gerontologist (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (5R01AG057739, 5R01AG0709315, R01AG070931, P30AG010133)
  • Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (UL1TR002529)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
Keywords
social connectedness, social bridging, social bonding, cognitive aging, cognitive reserve, episodic memory, executive function, weak ties, network density, personal networks, older adults, social networks, relationship quality
MeSH terms
Cognitive Aging, Aged, Cognition, Humans, Social Support, Executive Function, Social Networking

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